Solid sf space opera. I appreciated: the predominance of female characters, the normalization of lgbtqia+, the world building, the complexities of theSolid sf space opera. I appreciated: the predominance of female characters, the normalization of lgbtqia+, the world building, the complexities of the characters' backstories, the exploration of passivism. I was less impressed by: the slow pace (perhaps exacerbated by the audiobook format), some redundancies/overly-detailed descriptions without payoff, the military elements (didn't quite ring true). ...more
This is an entertaining read. It is not a perfect book, but it has lots of interesting takes on SF subjects. The plot lines focus on activism and resiThis is an entertaining read. It is not a perfect book, but it has lots of interesting takes on SF subjects. The plot lines focus on activism and resistance against the government, and the author explores what that might look like in a future where one never knows if they are actually talking to a friend/acquaintance/loved one or to an indistinguishable fake. Kunz also focuses on gender relationships in a future where gender is created and performed through sophisticated transition surgeries and where people of all genders are trying to find ways to communicate under the burden of cultural norms and a historical break that is never fully explained. Similarly, she prods the question of ethics surrounding animal testing and creating sentience through genetic manipulation in a secondary angle on nature vs. nurture.
There are no info dumps here. We are left with a lot of questions about what happened before the events of the story and the broader cultural context. That is preferable in many ways to mini-essays interrupting the plot, but there are so many fascinating angles to what she describes that I almost wish she'd digress here and there to lay out more of her theoretical underpinnings. The closest she comes is an essay written by a student in a paper read by one of the primary characters. The student presents a pessimistic picture of male-female gender relations, but the essay itself is explicitly presented by the student as so specific to her experience that it's hard to take it as some kind of overarching argument for the book as a whole. That said, the author does have her own biases that do come through in the conversations the characters hold and the actions they take.
The one area in which the book takes a hard left away from SF is in its inclusion of life-force style energy as a physical power in the sense of something that can be visually perceived, cultivated, and used on other people. Even here, Kunz doesn't drift into crazy-land. Her characters are regularly skeptical of what they experience; but at the same time, they acknowledge that they are experiencing something. Regardless of any particular reader's take on what she describes, it does not detract much from the book. I would say not at all except that the book ends with a bunch of open questions regarding the application of that power as a plot point.
One of the most fascinating things about the book to me is how grounded the writing is in the protagonist's physical experience. Of all the books I've read, it's left me feeling the most like I am connected to the body rather than the brain of a POV character. There are plenty of books (e.g. The Best Bad Things by Carrasco) that have very physical characters and regularly describe what the body is doing, but the language in those books almost always rests in how the mind is using and/or watching the body. In this book, the body often leads the way. We get sentences like: "Her cells lounged on each other and she felt herself being drawn in as she had so many times before." Kunz's language occasionally feels experimental but never gets so convoluted or extreme as to be annoying.
There is lots more going on in this book than I've managed to cover: Aikido, the role(s) of violence, PTSD, neuroscience concepts, corporate control of the state, etc. I hope there will be a sequel, but I can't find any signs of one. Regardless, it is a worthwhile read on its own merits. I'm surprised that it doesn't yet have more readers or a place on any of the big lists. ...more
Nicola Griffith's books are all beautifully written, and this one more so than the rest. She does an excellent job of extrapolating what life in the sNicola Griffith's books are all beautifully written, and this one more so than the rest. She does an excellent job of extrapolating what life in the seventh century might have been like. The book is long and full of detail. The imagery has stuck with me months later. It seemed to take forever to read, but as soon as I put it down, I wanted to pick it up again. Leaving the universe Griffith created was wrenching. ...more
I'm amazed it took me so long to get to this book. It is entertaining, well written, snarky humor, great characters (who share far too many names in cI'm amazed it took me so long to get to this book. It is entertaining, well written, snarky humor, great characters (who share far too many names in common with my family members for comfort), and an educational look at what life was like for LGBTQ folks (and young people in general) in the 1960s-70s. ...more
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